PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 10, 2025
Clock Hour Program Student Protection Act
This bill provides statutory authority for the 150% rule, which allows an educational program that prepares students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation to maintain eligibility for federal student aid funding if the program operates within 150% of the state's minimum hours requirement for licensure.
The Department of Education (ED) previously enforced the 150% rule through regulations. ED proposed a new regulation to rescind the 150% rule and instead limit the length of these programs to 100% of the state's minimum required hours. This revised regulation was set to take effect on July 1, 2024; however, a court imposed a temporary injunction to halt the regulation from taking effect.
People & committees
Rep. Smucker, Lloyd [R-PA-11] · R–PA
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Jan 23, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-10 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposal would require certain job-training programs to qualify as eligible programs under the Higher Education Act even when they provide more instructional hours than the state requires. Programs would still need to satisfy other eligibility requirements. Their instructional hours could not exceed the higher of 150% of the state minimum or 150% of the federal agency minimum for that training.
An otherwise eligible program that provides a program of training to prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized profession in a State, and for which the number of clock hours of instruction exceeds the minimum number of clock hours of instruction required by such State for training in the recognized profession for which the otherwise eligible program prepares students, shall be determined to be an eligible program under this subsection if the number of clock hours of instruction provided by such otherwise eligible program does not exceed the greater of— (A) 150 percent of the minimum number of clock hours required by such State for training in the recognized profession for which the otherwise eligible program prepares students; or (B) 150 percent of the minimum number of clock hours required by a Federal agency for such training.
Section 2 would add an eligibility rule to section 481(b) of the Higher Education Act. It would cover otherwise eligible programs preparing students for paid work in a recognized profession whose instructional hours exceed the state's required minimum.
Section 481(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1088(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
An otherwise eligible program that provides a program of training to prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized profession in a State, and for which the number of clock hours of instruction exceeds the minimum number of clock hours of instruction required by such State for training in the recognized profession for which the otherwise eligible program prepares students
For covered programs, eligibility would be mandatory if instructional hours stay within the specified limit, including exactly at that limit. The limit would be one and a half times the state minimum or one and a half times the federal agency minimum, whichever is higher.
shall be determined to be an eligible program under this subsection if the number of clock hours of instruction provided by such otherwise eligible program does not exceed the greater of— (A) 150 percent of the minimum number of clock hours required by such State for training in the recognized profession for which the otherwise eligible program prepares students; or (B) 150 percent of the minimum number of clock hours required by a Federal agency for such training.
The amendment would take effect upon enactment and apply to award year 2024–2025 and every succeeding award year. The provision specifies no final award year.
The amendment made by this section shall take effect on the date of enactment of this Act, and shall apply with respect to award year 2024–2025, and each succeeding award year.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated January 23, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Education and Workforce on February 10, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2026-01-23T18:27:10Z. 2025-02-10: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce. 2025-02-10: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-10. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; earmark disclosures and accompanying committee materials were not supplied.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No narrow preferential exception beyond the main policy's intended program coverage was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Jan 23, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI